The Planning Board at its Tuesday meeting approved the construction of a a 269-unit, 436-foot high tower at the foot of Second Street overlooking the Hudson River, and 349-unit multi-story rental complex on Grand Street and Marin Boulevard that is part of the 6,000-unit Liberty Harbor North project.Hudson Exchange
The Second Street project, known as “Hudson Exchange,” will build the units on a 60-foot high parking deck with 6,000 square feet of retail space designated for a restaurant. There will also 275 parking spaces. There will be a marina and a walkway along the Hudson River.
Brian Fisher of Fisher Development, based in Jersey City, said at the meeting that he looked forward to starting construction.
“I like building in Jersey City and I have built here before,” said Fisher. “And I want to get started as soon as possible.”
The project is expected to break ground in spring 2007 with a two-year construction schedule. He said he could not give any cost figures for the project. Grand and Marin part of Liberty Harbor North
The $75 million Grand Street and Marin Boulevard development will be a mixed-use complex that includes buildings of four stories, eight stories, and 12 stories. It is part of the $2 billion, 80-acre Liberty Harbor North redevelopment project on the waterfront.
When completed in the next five to 10 years, Liberty Harbor North will have more than 6,000 residential units, 775,000 square feet for retail, 175,000 square feet for school facilities, 1.1 million square feet for a hotel, and 4.6 million square feet for offices. It is been considered by some urban planning experts to be a “city within a city.”
Longtime developer and attorney Peter Mocco and fellow developer Jeff Zak are overseeing the entire Liberty Harbor North project.
The Grove Street and Marin Boulevard section will have nearly 4,000 square feet of retail along with 353 parking spaces, a new lot, and street access for the project, which sits next to the Hudson County Boys and Girls Club on Grand Street.
Applied Housing of Hoboken is working on this particular project, along with veteran developer Jeff Persky. Joshua Wuestneck, vice president of development at Applied Housing, said the project has been four years in the making.
No name has been given for the complex at the present time. The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Sottolano asked the developers to commit to a total of 353 parking spaces, which would require valet service, as opposed to the original proposal of 249 spaces without a valet.
At first representatives of the developer were opposed, but then changed their minds and agree to put in more parking. ‘Real exciting building’
The Planning Board was unanimously complimentary about the Second Street project, particularly the sleek glass tower design of the building.
“This is a real exciting building,” said Planning Board Commissioner Leon Yost.
Commissioner Phillip Matsikoudis commented, “Great professionalism, beautiful building.”
However, Planning Board Commissioner Michael Sottolano, also a City Council member, brought up the issue of whether the building will block the views of New York City for other buildings located west, such as the recently opened 26-story Mandalay on the Hudson, also on Second Street.
But Jordan Gruzen, the architect for the project, said the building will be constructed in such a way as to not block much, if any, of the views from adjacent buildings.
Among the conditions the developers would have to adhere to as part of receiving approval is making a color map of the project showing where building cranes and other construction equipment will be placed and how streets will be blocked off.
According to Fisher, this is the third building his company is constructing that directly overlooks the waterfront, following in the steps of Liberty Towers and Liberty Terrace, both on Hudson Street.
Robert Antonicello, executive director for the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, was also at Tuesday’s meeting. “This building, when completed along with the marina, will be one of the most desired locations in all of Northern New Jersey,” said Antonicello. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com